Notice: Bingo-Raffle Rulemaking Hearing

The Secretary of State is considering proposed
revisions to the rules governing charitable gaming activities in the
state, and will hold a hearing regarding the proposed changes on January
15. If your organization holds a bingo-raffle license, or if you work
with a bingo hall, supplier, or manufacturer, these changes will affect
you!

On December 10, the Secretary of State
released a set of preliminary draft rules and a draft statement of basis
and purpose, which outline all of the changes being contemplated. You
can take a look at the draft rules and other related documents on our website.

We encourage you to attend the
hearing on January 15 in the Blue Spruce Conference Room at the address listed above. If you are unable to attend, you may listen to
the live broadcast online at www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/info_center/audioBroadcasts.html. Between now and January 15, you may submit
your comments and suggestions to the Secretary of State by phone, email
or in person.

Your input will be vital in making sure these
rules provide support and address the issues that are most important to
the Colorado Bingo-Raffle community.

Reminder: Fourth Quarter Reports due January 31

If you hold a current 2012 license, you MUST
submit your LE-21 Quarterly Report form by January 31, 2013. The report
covers the period for October through December of 2012. Reports filed
after this date will be
assessed a $50 late filing fee. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Lisa Marty at lisa.marty@sos.state.co.us

2013 Bingo-Raffle Licenses

Just a friendly reminder: You MUST have a 2013 Bingo-Raffle license before running any bingo, raffle, or pull tab activities in 2013. You can submit your application forms at any time.

Also remember to notify our office if your organization adopts or amends its articles of organization, bylaws, constitution, or other similar documentation. This allows us to keep your file updated, and will help you avoid license renewal delays in the future.

Come join the meeting to share your thoughts on bingo and raffle activities in our state.

NEW! Licensing Consultation Services

We are excited to offer a brand-new service to our customers and potential customers. If you or someone you know would like help in putting together a Bingo-Raffle license application, you can sign up for our new Consultation Services.

When you sign up, we will meet with you one-on-one to
review your application materials and make sure you have everything you need to
get a license. This will help you avoid time- consuming revisions and
resubmissions. You can come to our offices, chat over the phone, or, in some cases, we'll come to
you. This service is open to all first-time and renewing applicants.

Top 5 Tips for Filing an Accurate Quarterly Report

Every quarter, our office returns about 25 percent of all
quarterly reports to our customers, usually asking them to correct an error or
omission in their reporting. Nobody likes to do work twice, and most of
the things we catch are easy to fix, especially when it comes to your
Schedule A form. So, as you prepare your report for Q4 of 2012, here are five tips to make sure your quarterly report and the accompanying Schedule
A form are accepted the first time around:

1.All checks on your Schedule A must be sequential, and must be continued from last quarter’s report.Always check your last report to see the last check number provided.If you skip one or more check numbers, we will ask you to amend your form.

2. If a check has been voided, make sure you list it on the Schedule A form.

3.All expenses on
lines 37 through 47 of your LE-21 form should be reflected on your Schedule A form. The totals on these two forms should be
equal.

4.If you use
electronic fund transfers (EFT) or make payments with a debit or credit
card, submit a copy of the bank or credit card statement with
your quarterly report.

5.Remember that all checks must be written directly for their intended purpose from your segregated bank account.So,
if you use funds to pay utility bills you must write a check directly
to the utility company. You can not write a check to your general fund
to pay bills.This helps us ensure that licensees are
using their charitable gaming proceeds in a manner consistent with their
organizations’ charitable purpose.

As always, if you have any questions about
your quarterly reports, please don’t hesitate to contact Lisa Marty at
lisa.marty@sos.state.co.us.

Games Manager eLearning: An Update from Pete

Over 175 of you have taken the Games Manager eLearning course from "Pete", our Games Manager guru. This has saved customers over 200 hours of travel time. Thank you for making the course such a big success!

If you or someone you know would like to take the course, here are a few tips:

In-person Games Manager Training Schedule

Call (303-894-2200, ext. 6416) or email
darleen.herrera@sos.state.co.us to sign up for one of the classes below.
Please include your phone number, organization, and whether you would
like to sign up for Bingo and Raffles, or only Raffles. For more information on course dates and locations, follow this link.

As a new feature on our website, you can also sign up to host a Games Manager training course. Follow this link to provide us with a few details about you and your organization, and host a class soon.

New Form: LE-34b for Progressives with Secondary Jackpots

We have made some slight revisions to improve usability on the LE-34b forms, which your organization should be using to track progressive bingo games that set aside money for secondary jackpots. You can access the revised form in PDF and Excel on our website.